It’s for reasons like this that we feel twitter still has a place in today’s marketing communications. We can’t quite get the whole story across on Instagram. A picture doesn’t always tell a thousand words, and it certainly doesn’t speak of the sustainable values and qualities of the materials used.

On spotting this tweet, we thought it would make an excellent blog feature.

At Architectural Panel Solutions, we’re constantly looking at ways to enhance and improve our stone cladding panel recipes in order to offer premium quality underpinned by strong sustainability values. Our reconstituted stone claddings is manufactured predominantly from crushed stone and marble – by-product material from marble mining which would otherwise go to landfill.

Reconstituted stone cladding – Petrarch the perfect re-clad facade material

‘“Sustainability” is the strongest trend in the construction industry. Environmental responsibility is becoming increasingly important, bringing to the fore the minimum impact on the environment. “Green” technologies have touched both the construction process itself and the life cycle of the entire building.’ Etechnology Trends (https://etechnologytrends.com/trends-in-construction-2024-top-10-most-demanded/)

As sustainability and ‘green building’ quite rightly gathers pace, it’s important that as an industry we look to improve both facade materials themselves, as well as our manufacturing processes. This is something we are continually doing, diligent in our approach to more environmentally conscious methodologies.

As a reclad material for education sector builds, Petrarch is an excellent choice, for numerous reasons, not least the sustainability value – repurposing a building saves on cost, waste, energy, and in many instances when it is purely the exterior facade being developed, the day-to-day learning can still take place. (Depending on the site of course and extent of renovation.)

The advantages of using Petrarch reconstituted stone cladding for Education Sector Builds

Petrarch is an reconstituted stone rainscreen, carefully designed to be extremely weather resistant and withstand the most severe environmental conditions, and just like natural stone, it matures over time, giving character and depth to any architectural scheme.
An aesthetically striking panel with incredible strength, boasting an A2-s1,d0 reaction to fire rating (EN 13501). Highly durable and impact resistant, Petrarch is considerably lighter than natural stone systems.

•       Highly durable, impact and weather resistant
•       Considerably lighter than natural stone and cement based systems
•       Natural textures and hues – Petrarch reconstituted stone rainscreen panels mature over time, giving character and depth to any architectural scheme
•       Graffiti and scratch resistant
•       Fire resistant A2-s1,d0 reaction to fire rating (EN 13501)
•       Available in 1500 colours and four finishes
•       Colours and textures emulate natural stone
•       Colour matching service available
•       Installation by mechanical secret fix, site adhesive and face fixing
•       Durable surface, easy to clean and maintain
•       ISO 9001 and 14001 accredited
•       Proven performance and life expectancy in excess of 50 years
•       BBA approved for added peace of mind
•       Fully CWCT tested
•       Made in Britain
•       Worldwide distribution network

Recent insights from Glenigan indicate the market is buoyant when it comes to the education sector, with capital funding rising by 26% in 2023 with further growth previewed for 2024. This is clearly an encouraging indicator for the rainscreen cladding industry and a reassuring reference in what has been a volatile market. As a sustainability conscious cladding manufacturer we will continue to strive to develop recipes with higher percentage of by-product material. At the moment we can confidently say that our reconstituted stone panels are created from on average 80% crushed marble and stone. All of which helps ensures Petrarch is the choice of leading architects, specifiers and contractors when seeking out facade materials with these fundamental values.

Construction Forecast for the Education Sector

There is a shortage of secondary school places, especially in major conurbations, and the Government is committed to rebuilding 500 schools over the next decade. The Department of Education’s capital funding increased by 26% during 2022/23 and is set to grow by a further 19% during the current financial year. This is expected to support growth in school building projects during 2023 and 2024 following a weak performance last year. The Spring Budget also highlighted plans for increased investment in further education. Glenigans

How can Petrarch reconstituted stone cladding help future-proof buildings?

As a proven facade material, guaranteed to perform, as part of a rainscreen system, in conjunction with our Downer Framing, it also comes with an industry leading 50 year warranty. Take a look at our Technical resources here.

If you’d like to book a CPD, get in touch here – claddings@architecturalpanelsolutions.com